Dubai Municipality's Central Laboratory, DCL, has announced that it has received international accreditation in compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 in the field of Halal food testing. The first of its kind accreditation in the world covers specialised tests including animal gelatin products.

Speaking on the occasion, Director of DCL Amin Ahmed said, "We always seek to develop our services to keep pace with the scientific developments in the fields of inspection in general and to check the Halal products in particular to ensure that they are free of any contaminants or substances that violate the UAE and international standards."

He said the process of developing and supporting the food inspection laboratory in DCL is done using the latest and most advanced technologies and specialised equipment such as high efficiency Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), as part of the Municipality's plan to participate in supporting and implementing the vision of Dubai as the Capital of Islamic Economy.

The accreditation for Halal food testing is awarded by the Emirates International Accreditation Centre according to ISO/IEC 17025 standards for the laboratory at the local and international levels as the laboratory applies the highest levels of accuracy in the quantitative examination of pollutants based on the approved Halal specifications.

The DCL also offers a number of tests that serve the food control system on goods received by the country, which continuously monitors foods at outlets and markets.